7 
SUPPLEMENTARY NUMBER 
yo ruz THIRTY-FIRST VOLUME or THE 
“MO 
Vou. 31. No. 215.] 
NTHLY MAGAZINE. 
JULY 30, 1811. 
[Price 2s. 
 HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECT OF DOMESTIC LITERATURE. 
TRAVELS rn tur SOUTH or SPAIN, 
in Letters written in 1809 and 1810, 
By Wricuram Jacoz, Ese. M.P, F.R.S. 
T a moment when Spain has, in 
_ every respect, become’so inte- 
resting to the world, nothing could 
have been more desirable than that it 
should have been visited and reported of 
by so intelligent a travelleras Mr. Jacos. 
As a British merchant of the first class, 
as an experienced traveller, as a lover 
of science and literature, and as an active 
member of the British House of Com- 
mons, he was eminently qualified to per- 
form the task he: undertook; and in its 
execution every candid reader will arise 
from his work instructed and gratified. 
Some obliquities in Mr. Jacob’s political 
opinions, and a passionate misrepre- 
sentation given by him in Parliament, 
of the views of the enemies of corruption 
ia Middlesex, have, we are aware, cre- 
ated prejudices against Mr, J. among the 
friends of public liberty ia England; 
-yet these aberrations incident to the 
fallibility of man do not, in the main, 
subtract from Mr. Jacob’s general pre- 
tensions; and, in the work before us, he 
_ has proved himself a man of sense, and, 
as far as regards Spain, a clear-headed 
politician. Our readers will agree with 
us, afier they have heard Mr. Jacobspeak 
for himself, in the imperfect views given 
of his valuable work, in the following 
@xtracts. | 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF CADIZ. 
The view on entering the bay of Cadiz 
presents the finest collection of objects 
“that can be conceived; on one extremity 
of the Jeft point is situated the town of 
Rota, a little farther the castle of Santa 
Cataliva and the neat city of Santa Ma- 
yia; ata greater distance, on the lap of 
alofty hill, stands Medina; nearer the 
sea the town of Puerto Real and the 
arsenal of the Caraccas ; and on the ex- 
tremity of the right hand point of land 
the city of Cadiz. To add to the splen- 
dour of the scene, this extensive bay was 
filled with the vessels of different nations 
displaying their respective colours amidst 
Josvury Mae, No, 215. 
a forest of masts. The whiteness of the 
houses, their size, and apparent clean- 
liness, the magnificence of the public 
edifices, and the neat and regular for- 
tifications, form together a most striking 
assemblage of objects. The ground op- 
posite to Cadiz has little appearance of 
verdure ; and, except the vineyards near 
Santa Maria and Rota, all looked brown 
and barren. I am aware, that in no 
other country must I expect the beautiful 
verdure of England, which, in spite of 
our hazy atmosphere, enlivens our prose 
pects and gives them a richness and va- 
‘riety which I have looked for in vain in 
Germany, in America, and the West 
Indian Islands, 
We landed between four and five 
o'clock, at the wharf without the Sea- 
gate, amidst a crowd of boats which 
made it difficult to approach the shorq 
The precautions of our friends, who had 
provided a house for our residence, and 
got our baggage passed through the gates 
with slight examination, prevented our 
feeling the inconveniences usually expe- 
rienced at first Janding in a foreign city. 
After I had entered the gates, and be. 
come a little reconciled to the nauseous 
effluvia of oil and garlic, L was greatly 
struck by the extraordinary scene around 
me; and could have imagined almost 
that I had suddenly been dropped from 
the clouds into the midst of a large mase 
querade: the variety of dresses and cha- 
racters, the swarms of people, the height 
and externally clean appearance of the 
houses, with the curtains drawn across 
from one side to the other, and the ex, 
treme narrowness of the streets, ren- 
dered still more so by the projecting bal- 
conies of painted or gilt iron gratings, all 
produced feelings { never before expe- 
rienced, and which no language can de- 
scribe, 
NATIONAL CHARACTER. 
The climate of Spain at this ‘season ie 
delightful, and certainly tends to improve 
the spirits. ‘The air is dry and clear, 
notwithstanding we are surrounded by 
water; the heat is net excessive, the 
at there 
